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TRP: Larkin and Goro (Renar)
Jen: SETTING Skyport's warehouse quarter, night. If Larkin was being honest to herself, she had been putting off the talk with Renar more than confronting Goro. Not because she didn't thing he would not believe their crazy demon story but because at the end of it, she'd have to defy him. Somehow. Renar Basha would do whatever he thought best, of course, but Larkin was still glad, Goro had agreed to come with her and explain things. She suspected there was going to be a lot of explaining. But she had to warn him of Diva. They passed beneath the shadows of the port cranes and, rounding the warehouse, reached the foot of the stairs leading all the way up to the rear entrance under the roof. On the way Larkin had spotted the usual lookouts in place and passed the occasional greeting. No one had questioned them being there but that would change as soon as they got to the top of the stairs and knocked on that door. They stopped for a moment. “We're here,” she said, looking at Goro. “I don't know who has the door tonight. They'll ask questions and they'll probably want your weapons.” Coyote: The door guard didn't wait for them to knock, today. Instead, an eyehole in the front slid open sharply. Two black eyes peered through. Black eyes, but not Diva's eyes. Black tiefling eyes, with yellow irises. Typically the door would just open automatically; instead, tonight, the guard peered at Larkin, then stared at Goro hard. "What's your business tonight?"(edited) Jen: Oh great, it was this guy. Damn overachiever. Larkin frowned at the door and the eyes peering out. “Let us in, Shrewd. I need to talk to uncle, it's really damn urgent.” Coyote: There was a grunt. Then a long, considering pause. Then the door opened. Shrewd beckoned them through. As soon as they were in, he shut the door again, then locked it. There was another guard on duty nearby, sitting at a table in the entrance lounge, dice and cards on the table, and a flask of whiskey. Shrewd's companion for the night. Shrewd jerked his chin at the table. "Weapons on the table. All of them. And this... half-elf... stays here with us." Eying Goro. "Whatever you brought him here for."(edited) Jen: "I brought him here to talk to Renar. He's coming with me." Larkin crossed her arms, ignoring the command to hand over her weapons. Instead she nodded at the bottle on the table. "Since when does Renar allow you guys to drink on the job?" Coyote: "That wasn't a suggestion," Shrewd said briefly. "They say there's a disease going around that's made some people not act right." But he backed off a little. Basha were family. Shrewd was just a hired guard. He motioned to Goro instead. "You. Weapons, table. Minimum. You aren't Basha and you aren't one of us. Renar can decide if he wants to let you in or not, but either way, I'm doing my fucking job." Lina: Goro put a hand to his chest and widened his eyes slightly. "Weapons? Sir, I am but a humble cleric, come to pray with the Basha." He grinned. Coyote: Shrewd stared at him, unmoving.(edited) Jen: Larkin elbowed Goro in the side. Lina: Goro's smile didn't waver. He reached up his left sleeve and produced a knife, which he set on the table. Then, moving slowly, he bent down, tugged up one pant leg, and took another knife from a sheath above his ankle. He set that on the table as well and inclined his head toward Shrewd. "I admit, even clerics require some protection when traveling in certain parts of this city."(edited) Coyote: The other guard stood up and aimed his crossbow directly at Goro's throat. About three feet away, an easy shot. Shrewd stepped over and began patting Goro down thoroughly, checking his sleeves, the small of his back, his hips and sides, his ribs, his pants, his pockets. Shrewd's patting paused. Then, grim-faced, he yanked up Goro's shirt. He unsheathed the knife from the small of Goro's back, then sank it into the table. He paused over the wands, then took those too, tossing them on the table. "Go on," he said, waving them in. The first guard sat down again and continued guarding the door. But Shrewd drew his crossbow and followed them further in. Jen: Larkin stood back as Shrewd searched Goro, rolling her eyes. She told him they'd search him. The middle of the night wasn't exactly the best time to get onto the wrong footing with Renar's watchdogs. As expected, Shrewd found what he was looking for. Larkin wondered briefly at the abnormally high number of knive scars briefly visible on Goro's torso. Looked like he'd had it a lot toughter than she had known. Larkin made a mental note to ask him about it later. She gave an impatient sigh when Shrewd was finally done and, moving into the next room, snatched up the whiskey bottle to wave it at him. "You'll be a lot better at your fucking job without this. You're here to protect the Basha, not get shitfaced."(edited) Coyote: Shrewd and his companion exchanged glances. The companion pocketed the whiskey with a guilty look, but Shrewd's expression didn't even twitch. He motioned for them to go. "Through the door here, then left into the entryway." He followed behind them, sword drawn, giving them instructions as they went. In a few turns, they arrived into an office. Renar Basha was quietly going through a ledger. The room was warm and inviting, which was-- unexpected. Renar Basha had some wealth, and it showed here. There were plants from Calimport sunning themselves on the window; they were locked inside a delicate glass box, no doubt to keep them warm in Skyport's cold weather. Spiny succulents and catuses. Beside them were trailing vines of ivy and jasmine which hung out the open window. Renar Basha wore his hair loosely pulled back and kept his beard neatly trimmed. He had dark, lidded eyes. Renar looked up, eyed Goro, but said nothing. "Larkin," he said shortly. There were two chairs and a couch, all very low to the ground. Jen: Larkin turned to scowl back at Shrewd as he closed the door. "You need to stop hiring from the- uhm... Whatever that gang is you got Shrewd and this other chum from. They're drinking on watch." Coyote: Renar's expression changed. Shrewd's didn't. "Sir, she's trying to make herself look good by getting us honest folk in trouble," Shrewd argued. Renar's eyes narrowed, and he pushed himself up, then came to sniff the air around Shrewd. "Get out," he said shortly. "Go wake Falina. Inform her that, because of your lax attitude and drinking, she's forced to take your shift tonight. Sleep it off and come back when you're sober. And no pay for tonight. I'm paying for sober guards, not guards to sit and play dice. Tieflings." Shrewd left, tense with anger, and shut the door behind him. "Sit," Renar said. "Or don't. I don't know how long you'll be here for." Jen: Larkin gestured for Goro to move towards the two chairs and sit down. "Sending him to sleep it off? No Pay? Really?" She sat down herself and crossed her arms before her, giving her uncle an incredulous expression. "Five years ago you'd have had him hanging upside down from a crane for a day or two. And that's just for talking back." Renar walked past them to reposition himself behind his desk, giving her a dark look. "What do you want? And who's that?" He picked up his pen and motioned at Goro. "We need to talk to you about the danger you're in." Larkin said a bit more agressively than she maybe should have. She looked to Goro. "And this is..." Lina: "Goro. A cleric with the Church of Helm." He gave Renar a crooked smile, somewhere between friendly and not. "At least, I have been for the past several years. Prior to that I ran in other circles. Meeting the great Renar Basha in person is... well, is 'honor' the right word? Oh, why not. It's an honor." Coyote: "A pleasure to meet you." Renar seemed satisfied enough. An honor. Well, that was correct. "Larkin, why did you bring this young man here?" Jen: "Uncle, do you remember when I asked if you knew about that merchant Diva? You said she wasn't a problem. Well, turns out she is and she might be coming for you." Larkin paused for a moment, letting that sink in. Coyote: Renar arched his eyebrows. "Coming for me. A merchant woman." Lina: "Oh, she would love you," Goro interrupted. He relaxed into his seat, finally making himself comfortable, and scrutinized Renar. "Yes. She likes them powerful. And interesting. And mean. Well, mostly the powerful part, I think. The meanness might be a coincidence. Still, why take chances? I'd fucking listen to what your niece has to say, if I were you. She doesn't bullshit, does she?" Coyote: Renar continued to arch his eyebrows. "Go on." Jen: Larkin glanced at Goro and supressed a little smile before leaning forward, putting her hands flat on the table. "Look. This is... yeah, I said it before, it's complicated. This Diva, she's not... not a person. At all. She's a demon or monster or whatever, the worst possible kind. She's a body snatcher. And she's trying to possess more and more bodies just this very moment. The more powerful the better." Coyote: "More powerful," Renar said curiously. "Who does... it... have so far, then? Would we be able to tell?" Jen: There was a pause in which Larkin felt the hurt and shock of a few days prior resonate. "Mikhail Haeth," she said. "And Joan Ripley. We don't know of any others yet." She turned to look at Goro for confirmation. Lina: "That's true. That we don't know of them. I wouldn't rule others out, though." His smirk and his biting tone were gone, just like that. He looked, once again, like a man who hadn't slept in two days. "Haeth can teleport. Isn't that exciting? He could--" Goro snapped his fingers-- "pop in to join us any time he likes." Jen: "Shit, he's right." Larkin sat up, alarmed. Why hadn't she thought of that? Haeth had been in here before, her uncle had told her that. So he could just pop in on them and... "Renar, you gotta tripple the guards. Get some magic protection. Teleportation blockers or some shit." Coyote: The instant Larkin said the words Mikhail Haeth, Renar straightened up, his face changing color a little. He eyed them to see if they were serious. "With access to everything he does?" Renar said, his tone... serious... now. Without waiting for an answer, he got up and left the room for a moment. There was a low, rapid, quiet conversation on the other side. Then Renar returned. He reached into his desk, unlocking a hidden drawer. He pulled out a small contraption about the size of his fist-- an odd brass mechanical thing with a small amethyst locked in the middle. Renar pressed a button on the side, and it clicked, then whirred, and the amethyst began to spin. The device emitted a dim violet light, bathing the room. "The guards will have to be handled in the morning," he said. "Anyone else you're aware of? This thing-- does it have any abilities of its own? What do you mean, coming for me? Coming to... acquire... me?"(edited) Lina: "Yeah. Make you one of her little helpers. She'll take you over. Invade your brain, move your body like a puppet. Use you to--I don't fucking know what. Make more of her, I guess. Seems like that's all she wants. More. Everyone. If she starts on the top, she can trickle down. That's my best guess." Goro shrugged. "I tried to bargain with her. One last time. But it seems like she can't be swayed from the possess-everybody thing." Jen: It was a huge relief to see her uncle take the threat seriously. Still, Larkin wasn't sure just how much protection would be enough. "There's a way to spot them. The possessed ones. They get solid black eyes and move like... puppets. And they speak in her voice." Coyote: "How does it... happen? How does it acquire people?" Lina: "Seeds," Goro blurted out, his voice hoarse. He cleared his throat. "Little... black... larvae, for lack of a better word. You see one of those coming toward your mouth, kill it." He frowned. "The black eyes... some tieflings have black eyes, don't they? So listen for the voice. You can't mistake it. She sounds like..." He closed his eyes, grimacing, then licked his lips. "Honey." Jen: Larkin glanced at Goro sympathetically, then looked back at Renar. At the mention of tieflings his expression had gone even darker, the creases in his brow deepening. "She needs victims to ingest the seeds," she clarified. "Look, uncle. I know what you're gonna do now. You're gonna get your gangsters and your chiefs in here and you're gonna tell them to kill all the black-eyes people they see. Just..." Her voice took on a pleading tone. "Just remember, the tieflings are your people, too. Don't let them think their Basha doesn't care for them. Don't let it become war." Coyote: Renar Basha's eyes narrowed as he considered. Then, finally, he gave a short nod. "They can be imprisoned or locked in the cellar instead of killed. Until they speak." But his eyes are glassy and cold when he says it. "Is there anything else? There are things to be done. Before this gets out of control." Lina: Goro rolled his eyes at Renar's concession to black-eyed tieflings. Then he shook his head. "What things do you have in mind, exactly? It'd be nice if we were all on the same page. And by 'we' I mean everyone trying to avoid that... thing." Coyote: "People need to be warned," Basha said, briefly. "And..." He eyed Larkin for a moment, then seemed to decide that perhaps Goro was safe if Larkin brought him here. Larkin knew better than to bring in someone hurtful to the family. "You said it's targeting people in positions of authority?" Renar said. "Presumably, the council, the guard, the bishop.... there will be chaos in the city. Trade shutting down. People like us thrive at times like these. The city will need a cartel to keep it going. When the structure of a city collapses... well, an underground market can save it. Even if there is chaos in the city, we can help. We can get people in and out. Provide food and shelter, perhaps, to those important individuals who need it. Nobles we might helpfully rescue." And he smiled. "Thank you for warning me, Larkin. We will do what we can to defend ourselves against the black-eyed beast. In the meantime, maybe we can make some good of this. Nobles will need protection. So will rich merchants. And there might be undefended houses.... I'll have some very good work for you soon." Jen: Yes, people like them thrived at times like these. As he laid out his plans to them, Renar got this look in his eyes again, this gleam. Hungry. Excited. This talk had gone better than she would have expected but there was one more thing she had to tell him. "Yes, that... thanks, uncle. I appreciate it, really, but..." she sat up straighter but still, Larkin suddenly felt very small. "I know you said I mustn't go to the sanctuary. Because of Pa. But I'll have to." Coyote: "Have to," Renar said, hard and cold. And all of the earlier warmth drained out of the room. Jen: Renar's voice was like a slap. Larkin cringed, internally, and tried not to let him see. She mulled over what she was going to say next carefully. "Uncle," she began, "I'm worried about Pa. Did you... did any of your informers find out anything new?" Coyote: "Yes. One came back. Kheman is there." Renar's voice softened, a little. And he leaned back in his chair. He seemed to think for a while. "Weapons are not allowed in the Sanctuary," he said slowly. "And there's old folktales-- superstitions-- that the goddess there harshly punishes anyone who commits violence there. I doubt it's safe, but..." He tapped his fingers on the table, considering. "You could go get him and bring him back," he finally said. "There's no danger that we can find. Family belongs here, not there." Jen: Larkin released the breath she'd held. "Yes. Fuck, yes, uncle, you're absolutely right. I'm gonna get Pa back and maybe I'll also find out how he ended up there. Thanks for letting me do this." Coyote: He nodded shortly. "Bring my brother home. We'll... talk more then. Perhaps there will be a way for you to repay me once you come back. Lots of jobs for you, then. Interesting jobs. You've... done excellent, Larkin, bring me this information. This will help us." And there's that gleam again. "This will greatly help us." Then, calmly, he walked around the side of his desk. Gripped Goro by the front of the shirt, and shoved him against the closed door. "Don't roll your eyes at a Basha," he said. And cracked Goro once, hard, across the face. Then let go. He went back to his desk, next to the antimagic device, and placed it in his pocket. "Are we done?" Jen: "Yeah, we..." she looked back at Goro holding his face at the door. "I guess we're done. I'll probably leave tomorrow. Take care." she extended her hand for him to clasp it. "Oh, and please. Hang fucking Shrewd from a crane." Coyote: He waved them off and went back to his desk, trusting Larkin to show both of them out. Jen: END Category:Text Roleplay